New courses added to the Course Seeker website to support ECEC and others to upskill

An additional 58 online short courses will be added to the Course Seeker website, supporting Australians looking to learn new skills to make themselves ‘more employable’, Federal Minister for Education, Dan Tehan announced yesterday. 

The announcement will no doubt be of interest to those employed in the early childhood education and care (ECEC) sector, with the Government providing $7 million to heavily subsidise 1,015 places in courses covering teaching courses, as well as courses in agriculture, health, science, engineering, clinical psychology, information technology (IT) and languages.

To be offered by 18 higher education providers, the cost to students will range from $1,250 to $2,500, with Mr Tehan saying that the newly added courses will be hosted ‘at mostly private providers’ and would complement the 177 courses across nine different fields of education currently on offer from 22 universities in Australia.

“Students can enrol in these short, online courses and graduate with a recognised qualification and new skills,” he said, adding that the short courses “will support Australians who have lost their jobs or are looking to retrain in national priority areas.”

He expressed his hope that the creation and delivery of the courses would also drive innovation in the higher education sector, making Australia a leader in the delivery of micro-credentials.

“We are pleased the COAG Education and Skills Ministerial Councils have recognised Undergraduate Certificates and will review them by the end of December 2021 to ensure they remain fit for purpose” he concluded.

Courses will be advertised on the Course Seeker website shortly.